California Wants 1.5 Million Hybrid Cars on Roads by 2025, But It Doesn’t Look Promising

The average American drives their vehicle just over 10,000 miles per year. This causes thousands of pounds of harmful emissions to enter the air, which is why the state of California has set a goal of implementing 1.5 electric or hydrogen-powered vehicles by 2025.

But, they are not meeting that goal.

Back in October, the state of California made their promise to implement these zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs), but the process is moving slow despite their detailed action plan. Still, there just isn’t enough interest to inspire California drivers to spend the money.

According to the California Center for Jobs and the Economy, only about 71,000 ZEVs are being sold each year in the state. In order to reach their 2025 goal, that number will have to jump to 175,000 annually, and quickly.

One of the largest problems with this purchasing pattern is that Californians are purchasing more ZEVs instead of hybrid cars. ZEVs are not included in the goal even though they don’t emit carbon or contribute to climate change. The Center’s report shows that the sales of plug-in and battery electric vehicles rose about 5,600 compared to the third quarter in 2015.

Plus, there are plenty of problems that keep drivers from purchasing these vehicles. Hybrid cars are typically much more expensive despite governmental subsides, making it hard for drivers to find a public charging station. Plus, the nationwide gas price is low enough to make drivers question the economic advantages of having these cars.

With the goal in mind, lawmakers and car dealerships are at a crossroads of how they can successfully push towards convincing drivers to go hybrid.

Nevertheless, even if they did reach their goal of 1.5 million, it would only count for less than five percent of all cars on the California roads in 2025.